


Viridis

by jeejaschocolate



Series: Unus et Solus [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha!Gladio, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, As he would say, Because that's boss, Claiming, Coming In Pants, Enemies to Lovers, First Time, Gladiolus is a gardener, Kissing, Knotting, M/M, Omega Verse, Omega!Ravus, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Rare Pairings, References to Depression, References to a difficult life, Romance, Soul Bond, Touch-Starved, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 00:53:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12158250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeejaschocolate/pseuds/jeejaschocolate
Summary: Ravus has seen omegas before. Once or twice (not counting the time he saw someone turn right before his eyes). As a beta, the idea of finding a soulmate and becoming one of them makes him sick. How could anyone allow themselves to be brought so low?(And yet, what does it feel like to know that joy…?)No matter. He’ll carry on like always. Do what needs to be done. And today he needs to meet with Gladiolus Amicitia, the king’s Shield…





	Viridis

**Author's Note:**

> I have returned with a rare pair! Near and dear to me, because I just fucking love Ravus okay (like that Ignis DLC trailer kind of pushed me over the edge? Maybe?). And my Gladiolus headcanons finally get a chance to bask in the light ;) 
> 
> So yes, this story picks up about a year after "Creo," where Karus is one year old (if that means anything to you). And not that Karus shows up in this one. But, this does rely pretty heavily on the version of events that happened in the first three, so you might want to read them first. But if not, that works too. It does work as a standalone in a lot of respects.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> viridis: Latin adjective meaning - 1) green 2) verdant 3) blooming

The letter sitting fastidiously on Ravus’s desk wasn’t anywhere near finished. 

_Dear…_ No. Far too informal. This was a business matter. 

_To My Most Esteemed Colleague…_ Ugh, gods no. That just sounded like blatant patronizing. Bending the knee to wheedle his way into the Lucians’ good graces…unforgivable. And no.

Ravus sighed again for the umpteenth time. He decided to take a quick break. He just…couldn’t seem to focus. On anything. Every fleeting thought passing through his mind was distracting tonight. 

_What orders were being issued by Iedolas at this very moment? Something useful? Something damning? (More likely.) What in Titan’s name happened in Galahd two days ago? What was Luna doing? Was she safe enough with her_ **_one_ ** _? Where they happy? Their children? Their home? Tenebrae…_

Tenebrae. 

Ravus took a deep breath. He ran a steady hand through his thin silver hair, tracing his fingertips along his own scalp to help himself concentrate. His purple eyes were somewhat bloodshot—he had been burning the candle at both ends lately. Official meetings throughout the day, sifting arduously through paperwork at night. Scant hours of sleep, even less he could spend entertaining private thoughts of his own. His mind was saturated with thoughts of the fallen Empire. His duties.

And now, every time he closed his eyes, Ravus saw Tenebrae. Dense forests. The wild smell of the greenery so strong it nearly choked. The sylleblossoms swaying in the light, seasonally warm breeze. 

Luna’s glowing smile as she watched her child play. Comforted by the arms of her alpha, ever at her side. The picture of peace and happiness. Things Ravus would fight to the death to protect.

(Even if it meant he would never know those things himself.) 

Putting down his pen, Ravus took a moment to press at the pulsing tension points on his face. A wave of general exhaustion spread through him like a dense, grey mist. 

Realistically, he was quite likely to get a migraine from lack of sleep. Thus he would need to suffer through some intense, nauseating pain for at least twenty-four hours. Ah, damn, yes. Ravus already felt the oncoming spasms building in the back of his head…he’d better turn the lights down before they became intolerable.

This did not need to be so hard.

It had been four years since Niflheim surrendered to Lucis (six since that bizarre, crazed meeting he’d attended in the Citadel, where the former chancellor had…anyway). Despite the Imperial army’s collapse, Ravus kept his position in the political arena in Niflheim just to keep an eye out for Tenebrae.

His merits mostly consisted of his ability to withstand anything. To take on impossible tasks and see them all done. Total disbanding of the Empire’s colonies? Yes, of course he could handle that. Ravus oversaw the project himself—which took a good two years to get underway. The work of decolonization was immensely difficult considering how dependent Niflheim’s satellite states had become on the Empire. Economically and even culturally. But Ravus saw it done, pride filling his heart when Tenebrae flew its own flag once again.

Unfortunately, Ravus did not believe his hometown was capable of standing on its own just yet. Not after years of enslavement. As a result, he remained a captain in the diminishing Empire to keep an eye out for Tenebrae. Make sure his country still received its fair share of tax payouts, as well as reparations and citizen relocation. Meanwhile, his sister officially ran everything as Tenebare’s princess and head of state. 

It was a good arrangement. Why shouldn’t it be? Ravus bore the tremendous burden of orchestrating Tenebrae’s welfare behind the scenes, while Luna enjoyed a calm, protected life with her soulmate and their offspring.

A beta well into his thirties, Ravus knew the chances of finding his own true mate grew slimmer every year. That was a huge relief, of course. As a commander. He could keep his beta status intact and fulfill his position, stroll through the streets of Niflheim with his head held high. A common man. Equal to everyone else. 

…Although, it seemed bonded life came with a kind of…joy. Strange, but undeniably true. Luna was happier than she had ever been. Ravus liked seeing her smile so warmly. The traces of grief and pain that had plagued her since childhood wiped away with the gentle hand of her esoteric alpha. 

But certainly, observing his sister’s happiness from the outside was fulfilling enough.

(Even if it meant that Ravus himself would become functionally irrelevant over time. Letting Luna enjoy her own life while Ravus grew older and older, bearing the banner of captain over a useless army…limiting his personal satisfaction to everything he could experience vicariously through her.)

Because, of course, this is the way it was meant to be. Ravus had been cheated by life when he was born a beta—his parents (both betas themselves) were hoping for an alpha. Someone who could lead the Tenebraen people with a strong hand, commanding others to his will as easily as breathing. The leader his people needed with the Empire looming ever closer. …But it was not meant to be. Ravus never presented as anything other than what he was: A beta. Neutral. Unassuming. Perpetually second tier. 

He’d had to fight with everything in him—a young adult calling upon hidden bits of strength and rage and hatred he’d stored away since childhood—to take his place among military Commanders. 

In his early days of military service, some of his fellow enlistees were downright shocked when they got a whiff of his beta scent (mellow, bland, and curiously palatable, like white rice). From afar, considering Ravus’s height and overall bearing, they naturally assumed he was an alpha.

_“Oh, you’re…huh. Right.”_

He’d heard it so many times. But it mattered not. In a contest of sheer force alone, Ravus triumphed every time. He showed the alphas his true nature. Kept up with the most grueling training. Stayed upright in sparring matches. Claimed the best prowess in every exercise and drill. Once, in a grappling match, Ravus even managed to pin an alpha underneath him, as if the man were nothing but a greenhorn cub—a feat that had gotten him into trouble at the time. Alphas did not take kindly to being shown up in the arena by scrawny betas. Ravus had endured a brutal revenge beating a few days later. Held in place by some underlings while his embittered foes dealt out punishment and dynamic justice with their fists. 

Ah, memories.

But the truth of his strength was no secret! Ravus worked at least ten times as hard as anyone else in the barracks. He trained night and day. Honing his body until it could withstand anything, until he could stand tall among alphas and betas alike. Instilling force and confidence into a body that rippled with well-earned muscle. Cut into marble by a life of merciless exercise, no room for casual comforts.

There were no omegas in the Imperial army. Indeed, in Niflheim as a whole, omegas were regarded as the lowest tier of society. It was acceptable for them to be out in public, but they needed to keep their heads down. Following three to five steps behind their alphas. Not speaking unless spoken to, or else whispering to their alpha who would then relay the message to those who cared to listen. 

It was not common knowledge what happened when someone turned into an omega. Betas who turned were rarely seen again. Niflheim society was content to let the mystery of soulmate lore remain a mystery. A closed book.

In fact, Ravus had only ever seen a handful of omegas in his life. Once as a child, unassumingly running into a mated woman in the marketplace. She had a long scarf wrapped around her neck, the tails of which were so long they almost reached the floor. When Ravus accidentally bumped into her (in his memory, they were both reaching for the same fruit at a grocer’s stand, an apple or an orange or something), she glanced at him. Ravus thought he could feel her gaze. Her smell like roses covered in powdered sugar—dear Shiva, he would remember that smell as long as he lived. They shared a look, him and this strange woman, before his father took him sternly by the hand and led him away. 

Omega. He had an image to go with the word. Sweet and gentle. Wrapped in silks. Wide eyes, faintly fearful.

Ravus had absolutely no desire to be sweet, and far less desire to be gentle. He loathed the thought of carrying himself with vague fear for the rest of his life, worried that someone would seek to harm him because of his weakness—did a beta lose his or her strength when they turned? They must…omegas were physically weaker than betas, after all. Such a terrifying thought! The hours Ravus spent slaving to give himself the perfect body, all for naught. Every ounce of his hard-fought prowess turned to dust before his eyes. Just so an alpha could turn around and mate him like some mindless sex doll. Allowing the rest of society to crush him under their collective boot for the simple crime of existing—

No, but. Omegahood suited Luna. She seemed so perilously happy. In love, Ravus allowed himself to realize with time. She was in love with Gentiana. And she bore her mark proudly because she was not ashamed to be in love. His sister was the second omega Ravus had ever known and she wore her dynamic like comfortable, queenly raiment. It was…beautiful, Ravus had to admit. 

(A soulmate’s connection. …Was it painful to form the pair bond? Was it delightful? Was there something inside the body—inside everyone—that longed to connect? Ravus had felt a startling emptiness inside himself for many, many years. Was that…the soul? He did not know. How could he imagine what it felt like to have a soulmate when he could not accurately pinpoint his own soul?)

Yes, of course _women_ would make good omegas. It made sense. They were naturally predisposed to obedience. Weren’t they? Why did nature include the need for second gender at all—women could fulfill the necessary function of motherhood. Couldn’t they? Ravus had not known many women in his life either, so he could not be sure. In fact, he’d only ever had sex on two occasions. Twice in his whole life. Both times were with women in the red light district. Prosti—well, comfort women as they were called in the Empire. Ravus regretted those encounters wholeheartedly. They were not particularly enjoyable (he could not even achieve climax the second time, because he was not the least bit attracted to the woman underneath him) and there was nothing behind the instances except for a brief exchange of money at the end. 

His favorite part of being with those women was the way their hands felt on his skin. Soft. Inviting. The sensation of flesh yielding to his own. That’s what he treasured the most; intimate touches to his forehead, to his shoulders. Of course, once word got around the barracks about an uptick in venereal disease, Ravus had sworn never to go back to those places. So far he had succeeded. 

His body did not need constant stimulation, he told himself. Some day he would have a wife. Probably. Or something. A beta, like him. He did not have to fret over the strange realities of dynamic gender. Did not need to even think on it.

…To say nothing of the time he had seen a man (an older gentleman, of prominent bearing and status) turn right before his eyes. The Chancellor (Ravus remembered his name, but he forbid himself from even thinking it). Seeing that man tremble and moan—in the open, in front of the royal council—just from setting eyes on his **one** …Ravus had been shaken by the sight.

The quivering need. The look in that man’s eyes: Sudden understanding combed over a bed of confusion and nameless anxiety. Ravus knew what it looked like to see your mate for the first time.

He’d never been able to get the memory out of his head. Not even once the Empire officially condemned the former Chancellor and decreed that his name be erased from any records, never to be spoken again. Hell, Ravus had disseminated those orders himself! Even so, he could never forget the smell. 

Pastries and pheromones. Wet, humid arousal. So strong even Ravus himself had been effected. None were immune to the inimitable scent of an omega in heat. 

Ravus only ever touched upon that memory when he was overtired. Or distracted like he was now. Or…horny. His mind sometimes had a will of its own, conjuring the image of Ardyn on shaky legs, holding his stomach to contain himself as he fled the throne room in desperation, leaving a trail of slick in his wake. Not that Ravus ever alighted on the image for long! Definitely not! He was quick to stuff the memory far underneath his consciousness as soon as it surfaced. He had no desire to associate the moment with anything erotic.

Because it was downright nauseating! The thought that someone—especially someone like _him_ —could be brought so low, so suddenly! Lose everything in an instant. His pride, his career, his self-control, his forbearance, his respect. Everything. Without even asking for it. Just because his DNA was inextricably tied to Prince Noctis—and actually the brat was king now. There was talk of a bonded king consort at his side, who could only be one person….

Sickening. Ravus shuddered to imagine the man’s fate. Living out his life as a Lucian plaything. Producing _offspring_ even—there was a young prince in the picture, over a year old now. Never seen in public except wrapped in swaddling clothes, but rumored to have vibrant red hair like one of his sires—

Unthinkable. Had the former chancellor become the king’s breeding slave? Ravus could hardly stomach the thought. Certainly a fate worse than death. He pitied Ardyn even though he had always seen the man as something of a snake. No one deserved a life of sexual slavery. Trapped in the never-ending cycle of heat and rut. 

(…Heat and…what did it feel like to be in heat? To hunger for contact? To _need_? Ravus had been aroused before, of course. He was functionally adept in the art of pleasuring himself. But he did not know what it felt like to be satisfied during sex. Was omega heat satisfying? Was it terrifying? Was it…?)

Cruel. The Lucians could not be trusted. Especially Noctis, with his newfound kingly disposition. Face and eyes like his father’s, sapphire and harsh. An expression guarded by the strength of his own willingness to serve. 

“Hmph…to serve whom…” Ravus mumbled to himself. “No one but himself…” 

He crushed his fountain pen in his fist, squeezing ink onto the blank letter unintentionally. Cursing under his breath, Ravus tossed the mostly unwritten letter in the trash. He reached for fresh paper, trying to get himself to focus. 

_To My Lucian Counterparts,_ he began. Time to get to the heart of the matter. _Regarding the issue of Galahd, His Radiance Iedolas Aldercapt believes it is time we met in person to discuss the question of Galahdan annexation._

Ravus thought he could imagine well enough the disastrous scene that had occurred in Galahd a few days earlier. Native Galahdans rising up, destroying official Empire property. Setting the consulate building on fire, throwing rocks into the windows of Niflheim owned and run establishments. Galahdans were supposed to be a free agent, independently governed—those were the terms of the last treaty. But it seemed the citizens still bore so much resentment for Niflheim that they were willing to destroy any remaining whisper of the Empire’s presence. It would be prudent for Niflheim to withdraw completely, but it was not possible considering how close Galahd was to the border. There would be no way to remove all presence, even if they wanted to. Galahd was simply too close for comfort. The only solution would be for Lucis to annex Galahd and impose some kind of law and order over the rioting masses. Laws that decreed the people needed tolerate a small, unassuming amount of presence from the Empire.

Now if only Lucis would agree to annex Galahd properly…like they should have done from the beginning…

_It has come to our attention that Lucian military forces have withdrawn completely from Galahd. And yet the region has fallen into complete instability._

How could those Lucians be so irresponsible? Letting his anger and the nascent throbbing in his head guide his hand, Ravus went on for a few paragraphs about the instability and Lucis’s role in the matter.

_I would like to meet with the leader of the Crownsguard to discuss the terms of future military involvement. It is my understanding this person is Gladiolus Amicitia, the king’s Shield._

Such a petty custom. Allowing the king’s personal bodyguard run the military. Ravus had no love for Clarus Amicitia, the father, and he was sure he would find nothing extraordinary about the son. Gladiolus. He’d never met the man; he’d hardly been back to Lucis since Niflheim’s surrender. But he could imagine the type. An alpha, obviously, like his father and all the other Shields before him. Built, with a domineering presence and a penchant for throwing his weight around. A cliche. Every alpha wrapped up into one man.

Weak, in the end. Ravus had no doubt that this newest Shield had seen almost no battle. No hardship. No need to work on his sword arm other than the cursory amount. Had history been different, and true war come to fruition, Gladiolus would have been nothing but a footnote. 

“A weak shield protects naught,” Ravus huffed under his breath as he signed the letter in his usual scrawl. 

He had a vague idea of what Gladiolus looked like. He’d seen the man’s picture a few times before. Those cocky eyes. A wide smile. As boisterous as he was huge. He’d been handed everything just like Noctis. Alphahood. The whole world on a silver plate. A comfortable, easy life, respect and loyalty, all because of the manner of his birth—! The idea of Gladiolus lit a fire of hatred in Ravus’s stomach. 

He hated all those accursed Lucians. He hated the fact that they had won somehow and now they could lord their way of life over the world. Noctis grew more insufferable by the day. Gladiolus was probably no better. 

Jaw-clenching pain wormed its way up the back of his skull. The migraine was in full swing. Ravus was in for a rough night. With shaky fingers, he reached into his desk drawer for some painkillers. Normally he took two or three, but…this time Ravus counted out four blue pills and hastily swallowed them in one go.

_Please, work…_ he thought. He needed these damn things to actually give him some of the relief they advertised. Even though most of the time Ravus had no choice but to ride out the suffering unaided.

Blinking against his swimming vision, Ravus folded the letter and stuffed it into an official envelope. He wanted this to go out by tomorrow. He couldn’t afford to waste time on this matter. It would mean another trip to Lucis, which was practically insufferable, but. The sooner he could get it over with the better.

Ravus steeled himself for the wave of pain that would wash over him when he stood up. Yes, there it was. Knives and daggers swam through his blood as he took a few steps towards the mail drop at the end of the hallway. His office was located on the south side of the building and he hardly ever got any direct sunlight through the scant few windows scattered around. Stumbling through the empty hall, Ravus could finally tell that night had fallen. He placed his letter in the receptacle, swaying on his feet where he stood. 

These migraines were getting worse. Perhaps a trip to the walk-in medical clinic was in order. Once he had a day off. Which was…when, again? Ravus usually worked through his weekends (with no personal life to speak of) and straight through the weekdays. Little distinction there. The only time he took to himself was to go visit Luna every so often. And on his last three visits, Ravus had barely spoken a handful of complete sentences to his sister and her **one.** They were both far too busy with their new baby son and their first daughter. Ravus sipped tea and stared out the window for the majority of the time.

He was fading into the background.

But, Ravus could keep going like this. Everything was fine. His duties to the Empire and to Tenebrae came first. Always. 

What was a little pain every now and then? Nothing he hadn’t dealt with before.

Ravus sat down in the middle of the hallway. No one was around anyway, what did it matter. He tried to keep his neck straight. Movement in any direction would cause him pain. He listened to the silence of the dark, deserted building all around him.

Good. Silence was the perfect thing for a migraine.

Closing his eyes, he wished there was a way to fade in and out of existence. That when his official duties were over, Ravus could disappear and feel nothing. Then pop back into himself when the next day started. So he could carry on as he needed without having to spend the off hours alone. It was a cruel type of punishment to make him live with himself when the day was done. Spiraling in entropy. Waiting out the clock on such an arduous life.

He sat deathly still, clenching his muscles tightly against the spasming pain. In his head and in his chest. The cranial pain was real, the chest pain was not. He’d learn to distinguish the difference. The chest pain was an absence. Something he’d never had. The soul, probably. Or something like it.

Maybe he could spend the rest of the night here. Rise again in the morning to pick up right where he’d left off.

_________________________________________________________

Ravus got a response in the mail five days later. It was written in a mannish hand, stiff and heavy. All it said was,

_The High Commander can come to the Citadel any time he likes. To discuss Galahd and anything else that may be on the Empire’s mind._

Such a short, almost teasing reply. Making light of the Empire’s concerns. Signed, one Gladiolus Amicitia, naturally. That boisterous, flippant streak only alphas could pull off. Ravus despised it so. 

Well, he was headed for another long trip to Lucis either way.

He could only hope he wouldn’t run into the former chancellor while he was there. Ravus did not know if he could stomach such a meeting right now. That omega scent…he didn’t want anything to do with it.

___________________________________________________

“You really gonna meet with that guy, Gladio?” 

“Yeah, course. Said I would.” Brown eyes flicked over to the king. “And, uh, you’re coming too.”

“Me?” Noctis rubbed the back of his neck—a habit he’d never quite gotten rid of, even though he had assumed his father’s throne. “Not sure that would help. I mean Ravus kind of…hates me, I think.”

Gladiolus huffed a muted laugh. He played with the edge of the Galahdan map sitting in front of them both. Shit, that place had turned into such a mess. Nyx warned them it would come to this—but it didn’t help that the guy had to be so stubbornly proud of his people for rebelling the way they did.

“Doesn’t that guy hate everybody?” Nyx Ulric, leader of the Kingsglaive, pointed out.

“Well yeah, but…” Noctis folded his arms and leaned back into his chair. “He’s got a definite thing for me. You know? I almost think me being there might just make it worse.” 

“Highness, need I remind you that the subject of annexation is a matter of the king’s supervision only?” Ignis sighed as he repeated that fact for the third time that day. “Gladio and Nyx can’t meet with Ravus on their own. They need approval from the king to discuss Galahd in any respect—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Nyx planted his feet on the ground with a heavy thud. “Who said I was gonna be in on this? If I’m there, I’ll probably knife the Nif bastard where he stands—”

Ignis cleared his throat. “Yes, point taken. That would be antithetical to our peace plans.”

“No shit, Ulric,” Gladiolus growled. “Get your head in the game.” 

He liked Nyx. Gladiolus really did. But if the guy could just turn off the Galahdan superhero bit for like ten seconds maybe they would actually get some work done here. 

The king’s Shield took a deep breath. He let it out slowly, trying to organize his thoughts as he breathed. Nyx, lifelong prick that he was, had been extremely helpful in negotiations with the Galahdans. He was practically invaluable at this point (unpopular personal opinions aside). But maybe it was a good idea for Nyx to sit this one out. Ravus Not Fleuret was enough of a mystery—in all their years running the kingdom, no one in Lucis ever found a decent way to work amicably with the man. He was stone and ice and dark hidden strength. A good head taller than almost everyone else. A few inches taller than Gladiolus even. 

Accepting Ravus’s presence in Insomnia was a risky move. They had been talking all day and they still couldn’t be sure what demands Ravus wanted to make. (Exactly whose side was he on, anyway?) So yeah. Maybe they didn’t need a wild card like Nyx added to the fray. 

“Alright.” Gladiolus sat up straighter, making his official decision as leader of the Crownsguard (and de-facto leader of the Lucian military as a result). “Ulric, stay home tomorrow. Go get laid or something while we meet with the Commander. Noct, you’re with me. Ignis you too. Let’s try and be as honest with Ravus as we can. Galahd needs to stay independent and Niflheim needs to treat the Galahdan leaders as equals if they’re going to move forward in this at all.”

There were a few moments of silence as everyone took in Gladiolus’s decree.

Then Nyx broke into a wide, wolfish grin. “Damn near perfect. Love every part of that plan, Amicitia.” 

“Indeed.” Ignis nodded in approval. “That’s our play.” 

Face suddenly serious, Gladiolus mentally ran through a hypothetical version of the following day’s meeting. Ravus, towering above them all, sullen faced and oppressive (like every damn one of his pictures in the paper). Angrily clicking his teeth as he listened to their points. Ready to lash out at a moment’s notice he was so damn uptight—hopefully not actually violent or looking for some kind of fight. Best case scenario: Ravus just threw a politician’s tantrum or two. 

It was going to be a hell of a time. That was for sure.

“Okay,” Noctis added, scratching his lightly bearded chin. “Probably better that we’re all in this together anyway. The three of us against Ravus kind of evens out the odds.” 

Shit. No kidding. How was that guy so strong…? 

Noctis turned resolute. “And we can’t back down. Galahd is an important piece of our decolonization strategy. Gotta stay that way. Yeah?”

“…Yeah.” 

Gladiolus sucked in his bottom lip, chewing on it apprehensively. Why did he have such a weird feeling about this?

_____________________________________________

Ravus tried to sleep through the train ride from Niflheim to Tenebrae. But it was too short. He transferred in Tenebrae to an airship that would take him across the Altissian sea to Lucis—it was too dangerous to ride through Galahd at the moment. Thankfully, the airship ride was also fairly short; only nine hours to go across the world. And the flight would deposit him right at the Citadel’s gate. The stretch of white concrete in front of the Citadel served as a decent landing strip. How wonderful. 

Truthfully, Ravus had wanted to stop in Tenebrae for a little longer. Maybe take a layover and spend a day with Luna and her family. But the airship was running a tight schedule, considering it was picking up shifts for the train. This was not a good time for a visit.

It felt like Ravus had to depart the moment he set foot in his homeland. No time to appreciate the fresh forest air. Nor even steal more than a brief glance at the manor. A few quick minutes and then he was up in the air again. Flying over Eos.

Typical. He had not even sent notice to Luna that he would be in town. What was the point.

A few sleepless hours into his flight, Ravus eyed the small bottle of sleeping pills he had begrudgingly brought along. The doctor in the clinic told him his migraines were probably the result of inconsistent sleep. Or else a lack of essential vitamins. She prescribed a daily vitamin supplement and sleeping pills. Ravus decided immediately that he would not take either prescription. He hated pills. He hated the idea of relying on something outside of himself—daily—to alter whatever was wrong with him.

If indeed there was anything wrong. After all, it was only pain (deep, mind-numbing pain, but still). 

He arrived in Insomnia (ironic title, considering the nature of his flight) after several itchy hours of restless discomfort. Ravus could see that bespectacled advisor standing with some nameless glaives outside the airship window. Watching his arrival, clothes fluttering in the excess breeze as the airship landed. 

Stoic. Unreadable.

Ravus had met the advisor on several occasions before. He found the man’s presence…tolerable. But only to a point. Ignis had a decent mind, but his unyielding loyalty to Noctis and the crown grated on Ravus’s nerves. It reminded him of the way Regis had clung to Noctis so tightly when Tenebrae was invaded…ever the favorite in the eyes of the world…

But at least it was Ignis. Ravus could stand Ignis. 

As soon as he stepped foot at the Citadel’s entrance, Ravus was assaulted by light. The sun was so much brighter here. Practically blinding. Ravus needed to squint to keep his bearings as he approached Ignis. (Why were the sun’s rays more powerful in Lucis? Proximity to the Chosen One? How…irritating.) 

“Commander,” Ignis intoned as he extended his hand in greeting. 

Ravus took it. Briefly, not even bothering to go through with the whole handshake. Just a touch of palms. That was all he would allow. 

The airship had gone still behind them. Ravus had not bothered to take any subordinates with him. What was the point. Weak men brought underlings to feel strong. Alphas liked to roll with a useless pack. Ravus had no need for any of that. He could stand on his own two feet. Strong enough to let his own beta stamina precede him. Alone.

Nodding seriously, all business, Ignis turned to lead them through the grand entrance. “Follow me. His majesty and the king’s Shield are waiting in the council room.” 

Very well. Although he hated the Citadel—its tall, ominous doors, and the cool feeling of its halls that clung to the skin—Ravus was happy to get out of the sun. The light was overbearing! Enough to make Ravus feel dizzy…his skin so used to the cloudy Niflheim sky and his windowless office. 

In Tenebrae, in his youth, Ravus had been spent whole days in the forests near the manor. Playing with Luna in the sun dappled woods. Their naturally pale skin darkened when summer came. Kissed by the sun, nurtured by the fresh air. Such a normal thing back then.

But that part of Ravus’s life was over. He was a man of Niflheim now. Unused to clear skies and bright light. 

The darkened halls of the Citadel were a relief. Ravus fought the urge to pull his commander’s coat tighter, bracing himself against the sudden chill of being indoors. Instead, he rode out a shiver and walked proudly as he followed Ignis to the council room. 

Fate is a curious thing. 

On a whim, Noctis suggested he and Gladiolus sit on the side of the table that faced the door. At the complete opposite end of the room. This way, Ravus would have some space when he entered the council room. Wouldn’t feel surrounded by enemies right from the start. They had no desire to back a feral coeurl like Ravus into a corner, after all. Gladiolus agreed that it couldn’t hurt. 

So, when they heard the knock at the door signaling Ignis and Ravus’s arrival, Noctis and Gladiolus rose to their feet. Ready to bow and shake hands with their unfortunate guest. Waiting on pins and needles for whatever would befall them once the meeting actually started (they’d heard the airship outside. They knew Ravus was here). 

But nothing could have prepared them for what happened when that door opened.

Ravus groaned. Deep and guttural, more honest than he’d meant to—actually he hadn’t meant to make any noise at all. …What? But his head was suddenly swimming. Damn, was the migraine back? He felt a throbbing sensation behind his eyes, a lurching in his stomach. A long, steady tingle travelled from the back of his head all the way to his nose. Similar to the convulsions he felt during a migraine, but…different.

Ravus’s toes curled in on themselves inside his military-issued boots. There was something else.

…Green. Dark, vibrant green. When Ravus cracked his eyes open, risking a dose of pain when the light hit his eyes, the only thing he could see was green. Luscious. Full. Verdant and everywhere all at one. 

A roiling wave of _something_ crawled up Ravus’s legs. His heart—which had been comfortably biding its time inside Ravus’s chest, casting hate on everything he saw—came alive. Thudding wildly.

Through the green fog, Ravus’s confused eyes landed on Gladiolus. His jaw fell open. 

This man. This… _alpha._ Gladiolus was standing there next to Noctis (his usual unappealing self, with a scraggly beard now, dressed in kingly raiment) in his glaive’s uniform. Filling up the space near the king with the bulk of at least two men. Waiting.

This man had been waiting for him. The idea, those words, screamed inside Ravus’s head and suddenly he knew it like any other fact—Gladiolus had been standing in this room waiting for Ravus. He had been waiting for him all his life.

Ravus’s knees shook. There was too much. Too much of everything all at once. His head was reeling, his legs quivering, his heart hammering. What had become of his body?

…Why couldn’t he take his eyes off Gladiolus? 

An air of dynamic tension settled over the council room. It was the last thing Noctis had been expecting, but when he looked over at his Shield he knew. Oh yeah. Damn. Noctis knew exactly what was going on. After all, the same thing had happened to him years before.

Gladiolus leaned over the waist. The uneasiness lurking his veins doubled, then tripled. Then exploded into a completely new feeling. A heady rush of anxiety, joy, fear, and excitement, combined with the most intense yearning he had ever felt. A need that landed in his gut like a ton of bricks. It didn’t feel like pleasure or pain, just…instinct. He knew without thinking. He needed to close the distance between them. Now. He needed to wrap his arms around him. He needed to abscond with him somewhere. He needed to love. He needed to give everything he had and even more, his life, his whole sense of self, his body, his heart his—everything!

To _him_. Gladiolus needed to give it to him. Now! Fucking now, as fast as his gods damned leg would carry him. He needed to get there. To…

…Ravus.

Oh.

He squinted, trying to see straight through the weird fracturing of light falling around them all. “Purple…?” he mumbled. Okay, really. Why was everything purple?

And why did that color set his blood on fire? 

Holding onto his forehead, Ravus groaned again. Hyperaware of how whiny his voice sounded. Not like himself at all. What on Eos…? What was happening to his body? His blood ran thick and hot…slowing down all his movements…Ravus thought he might be ill. He had to be, right? Had his years of casually ignoring all his body’s nagging warning signs come to fruition? Was he dying?

Had they killed him? 

Ravus glanced around the room. He saw how everyone was looking at him. Ignis, mouth in a straight line, stern and wary. Noctis, suddenly bright. There was a light in his eyes—a kind of excitement. Did he…know? Could he smell something in the air…?

Mostly out of instinct, Ravus sniffed the open space. The numerous scents all around him were suddenly much clearer. A lens coming into focus. Ravus could smell Ignis beside him—beta, blank paper and calm. He almost reached out for Ignis, trying to engulf himself in the sense of normalcy that came with that calm scent—but then he smelled something else. 

Alpha.

There was Noctis. Beach water and sand. Light and…pastries? Ravus could smell the bond on the king. A hidden line to someone else, someone who wasn’t there. A sweet tasting someone, like the Tenebraen pastries of Ravus’s youth. A person Ravus had smelled before and would never forget. An omeg—

…oh. No.

But there was another smell. Stronger and fuller than anything else. Ravus locked eyes with Gladiolus as they both scented each other. Mouths open, sniffing loudly. Obscenely. 

That smell—!

“Ngh…”

Please no. Deities in all their many forms, no! No, no this was not happening. This was a dream. A strange, fighting nightmare that Ravus would wake from in a harsh sweat. He would demand a refund for those bizarre pills that doctor gave him, that must be it! …even though he hadn’t actually taken any…

There was heat inside Ravus’s abdomen. His insides were soft. Weakening. Breaking down under the weight of some immense need. 

A…desire. Ravus’s knees buckled, without his consent, as a primal kind ofhunger washed over him. Spread through him. Lighting up his insides brighter than the sun—brighter than anything Ravus had ever felt. Lust, arousal. He’d felt those things before. They were nothing like _this_. This was his body unravelling into sheer instinct. Hungry and thirsty and hot. Staring at the Shield like Gladiolus was the only thing Ravus had ever truly wanted before.

In a way, he was. 

Chestnut eyes. Long dark hair, pinned back into some kind of style. A scar running down the side of his face. Muscles rippling underneath the tight uniform…a well-honed body. An honest face. A scent that broke the tight wall of defense Ravus kept around him at all times. Every brick of that wall was built on the pain of a weary life. And now they were all crumbling underneath a _want_ strong enough to topple anything.

Gladiolus’s scent was overbearing. Ravus couldn’t hope to chase away the smell. The forest. Trees, wood. Earth. Leaves, dirt, flora and fauna. The woods near his childhood home. Jungle vines and flowers and sun. Gladiolus smelled like all of these things.

His childhood. The happy days he spent playing at Luna’s side, thinking a day a long amount of time. The Tenebraen countryside was Ravus’s true nature—an irrepressible part of himself. The thing he longed for most in the world, the place Ravus thought about when he was at his wits end. 

Home. Gladiolus smelled like home and alpha. Manly and…oh, _yes_. That. Ravus wanted…

The seldom used member in Ravus’s pants stretched underneath the fabric of his clothes. Unthinkably hard. Already leaking. The bone-shaking lust inside him nestled itself underneath and behind. In a space Ravus had never fully considered before. A place that suddenly felt empty. And…wet. 

Unnameable moisture slid down the back of Ravus’s thighs. His hands balled into fists, trying to fight the cry bubbling up in his chest. 

No. No he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Ravus may be down, on the floor, a pile of pheromones and blistering heat, but he did not have to give in! He just needed to regain control of himself, of this body that never failed to embarrass him, to make him stand out uncomfortably in every crowd, that drew enemies like a magnet…this body Ravus had whipped into shape by sheer will alone. A body he’d never harbored any love for.

Of course it would betray him now. Infernian damn this body, take it straight to hell…Ravus _hated_ this body…melting into an omega after a lifetime of running from the very idea.

“Oh….gods…!” Ravus felt the cry in his throat. He wanted to regain control of himself. He would. He would, he would, he would…but the _need—_

Unable to stop himself, Ravus threw his head back and moaned a low, hair-raising cry. An omega’s mating call. No mistaking it. 

The three men in the room broke out in goosebumps when they heard it. Noctis himself got hard, and even Ignis needed to shake his head to cear the thoughts suddenly rushing to the surface. Seeing Ravus—the tall demon they had been fearing for days—suddenly on his knees, begging to be mated…

An erotic daydream come true. Plus, there were omega pheromones clinging to everything. Citrusy and mouthwatering…fluffy, like some kind of dessert cake with bits of fruit stuck inside…

Gladiolus knew the smell. Better than anything. The orange chiffon cake his mother used to make. The same that Ignis got so good at imitating over the years. Fucking…this omega smelled like Gladiolus’s lifelong weakness. He didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, except for those damn orange cakes. Ravus was that. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

“Oh my…” Ignis glanced over at Noctis when he could think again. That mating call was…a force to be reckoned with. “…Shall we leave them to sort this out?”

Noctis swallowed, nodding dumbly. There was so much to say, so much to feel. Gladiolus found his **one** in exactly the last place anyone would think of. But…all that would come later. Much later. For now, Noctis needed to go find his husband and fuck him silly. He hoped Ardyn was ready because Noctis needed to rut into his own omega and slather himself with the mated scent he knew so well.

Ignis, on the other hand, thought he might call Prompto. See what the young man was up to this evening.

“You guys get out of here.” Gladiolus’s voice so deep it was almost menacing. Possessiveness and honest hunger rolled off of him in waves.

It was a side to the burly man that they really almost never saw. Gladiolus was remarkably even tempered most of the time. But…Ravus was now shaking from head to toe. Two hands pressed against his mouth to hold back another resounding mating call. No alpha on Eos could shrug off the sight of their **one** like that. 

“…Got it.” Noctis and Ignis shuffled out of the room without another word. They were uncertain if they should leave the door open or closed. Open made more sense—air out the room, try to bring some clarity to the situation—but…things were progressing rather fast. The council room might just become the pair’s mating nest in a few moments.

Ignis thought about saying something to that end, but Noctis tugged his shoulder. Pulling him out and shutting the door quietly. After all, so what. They could always get another council room.

With the door closed, Ravus whimpered behind his hands. His fingertips were pressing against his cheeks hard enough to leave marks. If only it were enough. Ravus would cut off his own arm if it meant he could fight this feeling…this need undoing everything Ravus stood for in his life. Changing what he knew about himself.

Gladiolus took a tentative step towards the Commander kneeling on the floor. Ravus’s eyes were glued to the sight of the Shield’s waist. And lower. A bulge—difficult to see underneath the black fabric of the uniform—but present nonetheless. A promise. A siren’s call. Ravus fell forward when he caught sight of it. Landing on his hands. He wanted…

…He wanted to bury his face against that bulge. To mouth the fabric until it was dark with saliva and pre-cum. To see Gladiolus bare before him. Every inch of his mannish body revealed. On display for Ravus to pour over. To memorize. To lick and suck.

On his hands and knees, Ravus squeezed his eyes closed and fought the self-loathing swelling up within. Ravus hated men, he hated alphas. He had never been attracted to another man before (that was what he told himself, refusing to acknowledge any evidence to the contrary, of which there was a decent amount). And _never_ an alpha! He despised Gladiolus and his ilk…would never become this fool’s slave, his bitch, his _anything—_

“Stay away from me,” Ravus growled. He couldn’t move much, but he flinched in automatic recoil when Gladiolus took another step.

The Shield froze. There were so many thoughts inside his head right now, so many needs and wants, the sheer necessity of hoisting Ravus to his feet and bending him over this conference table. Now. _Now_ now.

But. He read the mood. Ravus, trembling on his hands and knees, fixed Gladiolus with such a stare. Hatred and anger clouded over his mismatched purple eyes. 

It cut Gladiolus to the quick. 

“…You…?” he began, not sure how to even start talking about something like this. How to describe all the weird ass shit he was feeling right now. The things he wanted to do to Ravus. Hesitant, Gladiolus inched forward just a little.

Ravus hissed. “I said stay away!” 

“Okay, okay.” The larger man planted himself in that spot, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m staying right here. You got it, okay?” 

Space. Remembering their impromptu decision not to corner Ravus, Gladiolus backed up a bit. Give this man some space. He might be an omega suffering his first heat, but he was still a coeurl waiting to strike. 

Time. Gladiolus needed to cool down and take some damn time. This might be awhile. Because right now, Ravus looked ready to kill him.

“No…closer…” Ravus choked out between clenched teeth. He reached for the sword at his waist, trying to gauge whether or not he had the strength to wield it.

This hateful body. Ravus had carried this sword for nearly ten years. And now, when he needed it most, when an alpha was breathing down his neck ready to mate him, he could barely lift it! How pathetic, how utterly sad!

Using the remaining power in his muscles, fighting the unbridled lust wreaking havoc on his body, blinking through sweat and pheromones, Ravus unsheathed his sword. He could fight on his knees. It wouldn’t be the first time. Just let that knot-crazed alpha come any closer. Even one more step.

Emboldened by his own rage, Ravus threw an arm out and gripped the edge of the table. Baring his teeth at Gladiolus like an animal, Ravus hoisted himself to his feet. It took a few tries. Difficult to do with one hand, the other thrust out in front of him, wielding a sword. But Ravus managed it. 

Gladiolus watched him struggle through it. His brown eyes went from confused to distantly hurt. But, he stayed on his side of the room nonetheless.

Blinking slowly, Gladiolus licked his lips as another wave of Ravus’s citrusy scent wafted over to him. He needed to call upon years of Spartan training to keep himself from padding over to Ravus like a dog. Scooping Ravus up in his arms, throwing him on the table and shredding that fucking beautiful commander’s uniform. Which he wouldn’t do. No. Slowly. Carefully. He would take his time.

“Alright, so…” the Shield shrugged in mild exasperation. Still faintly hurt. “…what now? Are we gonna fight or…?”

“I’m…leaving…” Ravus grumbled. “Don’t you dare think…you can keep me here…a moment longer…” 

He couldn’t risk taking his eyes off Gladiolus. And honestly…his eyes just wouldn’t. They were being so stubborn, refusing to look anywhere except Gladiolus’s rugged, beautiful face. His broad shoulders. Legs built like tree saplings. Hands almost as big as Ravus’s whole face…what would they feel like on his skin?

Fuck, his skin. The weakest part of him. His skin that loved being touched. No matter who was doing it. Some whore in the night whose face Ravus couldn’t even remember anymore. Or himself. Alone in his bedroom. Stroking his face, neck, and chest. Reveling quietly in the sensation. 

Those hands were big and tough. Ravus wanted to touch them. He wanted to know their shape and then…feel them on his body…

The idea sent another pang of harsh need through Ravus. Slick soaked through his pants and his eyes rolled back, another moan trying to creep its way out of him.

“Ah…!” Ravus snapped his mouth shut. Barely managing to stay on his feet. But no matter what, he couldn’t moan like that again…

His pride couldn’t take it. The needy omega sounds pouring from his mouth. The way his mind was conjuring images of Gladiolus naked, bearing over Ravus…why did it feel so horribly good to imagine that…? 

Holy…shit…Gladiolus watched his **one** suffer another wracking cry. That was too much. He needed to move, one or another, or else he would be tackling Ravus to the ground before he knew it.

Instead, Gladiolus ran towards the door on the opposite end of the room. A small one, semi hidden by the design of the wood. Meant for a quick escape should anything happen during a meeting. But Gladiolus could only think of one place he wanted to go right now.

He could only pray to the Astrals that Ravus would follow him.

Fumbling with the small handle, Gladiolus turned his back on Ravus. The air vibrated with tension all of a sudden—the hormonal stress of rejection that befell soulmates when they first met. Even Ravus, for all his touted hatred, took a step towards Gladiolus when he saw the man turning away. His body just wouldn’t abide it.

“So, listen.” Gladiolus breathed through his mouth (he couldn’t take the smell anymore, it was making his mind melt into a puddle of alpha rut). “Let’s go somewhere. I think…I mean, I don’t know, but. You might like it."

Now where did this alpha want to take him? The dungeons probably. Wherever they kept Ardyn. A breeding chamber or something equally nightmarish.

“Why would I…?” Ravus gasped. His eyes landed on the Shield’s well-toned backside. Such a…firm pair of muscles. Accentuated by the tightness of the pants. He wanted to curl his hands around Gladiolus’s sturdy ass. Squeeze. As hard as he could.

His words faded into a soft moan. Another spasm of desire sent Ravus to a place he had never been before: Beyond control. He’d always had such firm mastery of his own needs, every second of his life, until now…when Ravus suddenly felt pain between his legs. His manhood hardened until it was roaring with the need to be touched.

Muddled, Ravus cupped his member with his free hand. Over his pants, but still. He had to. He would descend to madness if he didn’t touch himself—!

The sword slipped from Ravus’s fingers. It fell to the floor with a loud clatter. The sound started Gladiolus, who whipped around to discover Ravus palming himself through his commander’s uniform. Mouth dangling open, bleary-eyed from pleasure. 

Oh….boy. That was the hottest thing Gladiolus had ever seen. And he wasn’t exactly a kid anymore. So. 

“I…I’m…” Ravus screamed at himself to drop his hand. This Shield was _looking_ at him! He could see Ravus masturbating in broad daylight, out of nowhere, like some common pervert or some depraved, knot-starved omega!

But it felt like coming up for a breath of fresh air after a deep dive. Filling his body with much needed oxygen. Clarity and life and survival. Ravus needed to keep going. To keep touching himself…despite the unbearable shame…

His thighs trembled. He could not stop grinding the heel of his hand down on the rock-solid cock underneath his trousers. Different parts of his body were singing with relief and it felt so mind-numbingly good Ravus had to close his eyes. 

Yes…yes. His alpha’s smell still dominated the air around them both. That life-bringing freshness. Ravus was intoxicated by the scent. It made him feel alive—in a way he had not been in many, many years. Since the days of his youth, perhaps. Even longer.

Clinging to that sense of life with every bit of instinct he possessed, Ravus squeezed his clothed erection as hard as he could. 

“Oh!” he cried. 

So…! Nearly there…! Oh, dear Shiva, was he going to reach climax right here, fully clothed, from nothing but his own hand and the pressure of Gladiolus’s eyes? The presence of his **one** …yes. Gladiolus was his **one** , wasn’t he? The truth was plain as day. No denying it now. 

Moments away from climax, Ravus looked up at Gladiolus with heavily-lidded eyes. He palmed himself more roughly, wanting to speak, to beg and plead for _something_ …but unable to find the words. There was only the feeling. Those chestnut eyes on him. A warm sensation in the air—a piece of Gladiolus’s essence reaching out for Ravus.

“Hey,” the Shield said softly. He didn’t dare move any closer, but he let his essence embrace Ravus from afar. “…It’s okay.”

“Mmmmm!” Ravus’s thighs clenched around his own hand. He needed…just…!

Across the room, Gladiolus crooned softly. Both in approval and a deep sense of encouragement. He knew what was about to happen and he wanted to see it. Fuck, he wanted to experience it up close and personal. But if this was as close as he could get, then. Yeah. 

“It’s okay…” he repeated. Crooning in between each word. “You can.” 

That. The freely given permission Ravus had not asked for. It sent him over the edge. With a strangled cry, Ravus came in his pants. He rubbed his hand against the growing wet patch, riding out an orgasm that brought the heavens down to meet him. Whiteness pulsed behind his eyes. A clear, sweet moment of satisfaction that did not care about pride or appearance. 

A genuine release. 

When the moment passed, euphoria rushed through Ravus. It felt as if he had let go of everything else inside him during that ridiculously strong orgasm. In its place, Ravus was overcome by a feeling of joy. Gladiolus—his **one** —standing before him. Somehow calm and reciprocally happy.

…How could he be…?

Ravus collapsed into a heap on the floor (again). This time, Gladiolus could not hold back. He rushed to the omega and crouched down next to him. That orgasm—although Gladiolus had seen it from far away—looked mind-blowingly good. Gladiolus could smell and feel the intense pleasure radiating off Ravus. It made him want to shout at the top of his lungs in happiness. But, he didn’t want to scare the omega currently looking at him with hazy, anxious eyes. So, he crooned instead. Long and slow.

“G-glad…io. Lus…” Ravus stuttered. He’d never said the name aloud before and it sounded foreign on his tongue. But also perfect. Melodic and pure in a way that made no sense.

Because right now Ravus was totally vulnerable. Soaked in slick, cum, and sweat, filled with a pleasure so new it honestly scared him. Gladiolus had him. He’d won. Somehow. Without doing anything at all. The Shield could take him anywhere now and Ravus would not be able to object. Every nerve in his body wanted to feel Gladiolus against him. Even if the Lucian chained Ravus to the wall, he knew he would be giddy with pleasure to feel those hands anywhere near his wrists. Hungry for more.

Terrifying.

And yet…Ravus scoured Gladiolus’s face for some kind of malicious intent. The alpha birthright to exert total control over their omega and get a thankful smile in return. A smug grin. A promise of brutal sex for the rest of his life…

…but Ravus could not find any hint of that on Gladiolus. Not in the Shield’s scent or in his expression. He was smiling, scenting Ravus with quiet fascination. Unguarded. Looking at the Commander like a man seeing the sun again after a decade of darkness. 

As Ravus’s mismatched purple eyes darted all over Gladiolus’s face, the mood between them slowly softened. The traces of hatred and bitterness that had claimed the room earlier fell away. They scented each other hesitantly, feeling the shift in their dynamic. 

Gingerly, showing Ravus his every move, giving the omega ample time to turn away if he wanted, Gladiolus reached out his hand. He wanted to do so many things, but in the end, he just stroked the side of Ravus’s porcelain face. Brushing silver hair away from the omega’s sweaty skin. Running his thumb over the Commander’s forehead and reveling at the way Ravus closed his eyes against the sensation.

Those fingers were so rough. But they touched him so gently. A tender caress that made Ravus glow from the inside out. 

His omega instincts rejoiced. A soft purr escaped his lips. It should have been embarrassing, but…Ravus found that he wanted Gladiolus to know what he liked. And he liked being touched with such kindness. 

This close, Ravus could also smell the alpha’s essence directly from the scent gland in his wrist. A strong whiff of pheromones and perfection that went straight to Ravus’s head. Distant memories of Tenebrae appeared out of nowhere. Good memories, things buried underneath layers of Ravus’s more recent experiences.

_“Don’t climb so high!” Luna shouted from the ground. “Mother will be cross if something bad happens!”_

_She was maybe six years old. Ravus was about ten. They had been playing in woods all day. The sun was about to set and they were ready to go home, but Ravus found a tree he thought he’d never seen before. So full and tall! He just had to climb it!_

_Mostly to show off in front of Luna. One more time before the day was done. His ten year old self liked the way his young sister clapped her hands and chortled with delight when he did something she thought was impossible. Being with Luna made him feel strong. It was a feeling Ravus was starting to really like._

_So, not listening to her warnings, Ravus forced himself to climb higher and higher. Reaching for branch after branch, exhilarated by the sensation of going farther than ever before._

_“Be careful!”_

_…._

He couldn’t remember how that day ended. But he thought he remembered them both laughing. Together. Skipping home to their mother’s familiar cooking and a pair of warm beds. 

So, so long ago. Another lifetime. But with that virile smell nearby like this, Ravus could remember it so well. Happy, innocent pride and mutual excitement. Things that were no longer in his life…but that he did long for, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

“Come on,” Gladiolus said, sliding his hand down Ravus’s cheek and holding it out for him to take. “Let’s go somewhere a little nicer.” 

His smile brightened, clearly amused, and he winked. Actually winked at the omega. Not lewdly—or at least, Ravus didn’t think so, but he was not the most well-versed in coyness—or predatory. Just…teasing, kind of. A silent invitation.

Either way, Ravus blushed softly. He’d never been flirted with like that. Or ever, as far as he could remember. Unless he counted the times someone was making a joke at his expense. 

He hesitantly accepted the hand. Letting Gladiolus pull him to his feet. He thought the alpha might drop his hand as soon as he was standing, any reasonable man would, but no. Gladiolus kept Ravus’s hand nestled inside his own and led them through the door. 

“…Where are we going?” Ravus asked as they trekked through a narrow corridor. 

His mind was a little clearer after having already climaxed once. But heat still boiled underneath the surface of his skin. Besides that, Ravus had to hunch so that his head did not scrape the ceiling. He might have been wary if not for the strange impulse he suddenly had to trust Gladio. (If the stains in his trousers and the warm hand on his were anything to go by.)

“My place,” Gladiolus answered easily.

“What…?” It was hard to believe that this strange passageway led to Gladiolus’s living quarters. But, the idea of being alone with him in a personal space—somewhere surrounded by Gladiolus’s scent and essence—sounded…heavenly. 

Eventually the corridor led to a door that opened into fresh air. Sunlight streamed down on them both and Ravus had to hold up one hand to guard his eyes from the intense rays. He let Gladiolus drag him by the hand across a grassy area, down through a small glade of trees that appeared well kept. They were outside the Citadel, for certain, but this still must be considered royal grounds. Everything was neat and trimmed.

Until they arrived at a house sitting just beyond the farthest reaches of the royal grounds. Not exactly modest in size (three stories), but not extravagant either. Just a house. Surrounded on all sides by flowers and bushes. Rhododendron and ivy crawled up the siding. Flora of all types burst around the back, spilling over into the front. Vibrant in color and shape. Wild, but tame in a certain way. As if they were being maintained in order to grow so freely.

Ravus instantly fell in love with the sight. A secluded house surrounded by nature. Without thinking, he approached a thickly petaled Duscaen tulip and inhaled deeply. It smelled healthy. Nourished by sun and a smart hand (since clearly these flowers were not native to the region).

“This is…?” Ravus trailed off, unable to stop himself from petting an elephant ear leaf bigger than his head. 

“My place, yeah. Like I said.”

Ravus’s purple eyes narrowed in disbelief, then widened in amazement when Gladiolus kept a straight face. Amazing! This was Gladiolus’s home? No wonder he smelled so strongly of nature…he lived in its boughs…

“It’s the family house,” Gladiolus explained, bending down to pull up a stray weed with his gruff fingers. “Been in the Amicitia name for generations. My sister used to live here, but. She has her own place now. In the city.” Clarus, Gladiolus’s father had passed away about two years ago from natural causes, but the Shield did not see a reason to talk about that right now. “Someone—my grandpa, I guess—used to love gardening. He left all these flowers and plants here, but they kind of fell by the wayside when he passed. Since then I…” The Shield shrugged his shoulders self-consciously. “…well I’ve kinda been the one taking care of them. When I have the time, you know.”

Something shot through Ravus’s chest. He did not recognize the feeling right away. “You’ve been…?”

“Yeah.” Gladiolus peered around the garden, checking the stems of some Leide sunflowers out of habit. “It’s kind of nice. Relaxing. Something else to focus on besides just…the usual, I guess. Plus, it looks pretty nice in the spring like this.” 

Ravus clutched his chest. The feeling had grown stronger. Oh, yes. He knew what this was. Affection. And…respect. A flicker of admiration.

In order to be able to grow a garden this beautiful, Gladiolus must have an intuitive hand. A compassion for the earth and its ways. To Ravus, nothing was more gorgeous nor attractive in a person than to know their hands were capable of fostering life from the ground. His mother had hands like that. As did his sister, everyone he’d ever cared about.

Ravus suddenly imagined Gladiolus’s hands covered in soil. Wiping the sweat off his brow as he checked each one of these myriad, vibrantly colored flowers for healthy insects. Dirt semi-permanently stuck under his fingernails for days afterwards.

Heat surged up inside him again. Making him shiver as he stood in the sun, eyeing Gladiolus with supreme adoration. He grabbed the alpha’s hands and shoved them against his face. He wanted to taste the earth on his **one** , to be able to take a piece of this man’s life inside himself.

Inside. He wanted these hands inside. He wanted everything, all of Gladiolus, _inside_. Ravus was so empty…so badly in need of being filled…

“Oh…” he moaned, rubbing his face all over the backs of Gladiolus’s fingers. “You are…” 

Gladiolus closed the distance between them. Flush against each other, Ravus gasped. Overcome by another flare of desire. 

“Yeah?” Gladiolus murmured. Encouraging Ravus to finish what he was saying. Teasingly, again, in a way.

Ravus leaned down to press his face into Gladiolus’s hair. Ah, this smell. Sweat and sun. The _perfect_ thing. Ravus’s eyes closed in sheer delight. “…Wonderful.”

The Shield chuckled in his throat. “Think so?” He grabbed Ravus by the chin. Not too hard, but enough to bring their mouths closer together. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

With that, Gladiolus kissed Ravus on the lips. Fully, not tiptoeing around the idea of intimacy right from the start. Deeply. Coaxing Ravus’s tongue out of his mouth, leaving the Commander slack-jawed, tongue dangling, and drooling when he pulled away. 

The rest of Ravus’s thoughts slowed down to a halt after that. The darkness and despair that lived inside the marrow of his bones saw the face of true light again for the first time in….so very long. Seeing a garden as lively as that, Ravus knew he could trust Gladiolus. Gladiolus was good—he was a man, and an alpha, but he was good! Reliable and kind. Gentle, despite his hulking size. The source of his loyalty to the crown was not hubris, as Ravus thought, but instead a warm heart.

He combed his fingers into the thick, slightly greasy hair of his alpha. How could there be a man like this? Was it even possible…?

“Here.” Kissing Ravus on the cheek, Gladiolus led him by the hand to the front door. “Let’s go in, shall we?”

Dazed by a whirlwind of ideas and desperate wants, Ravus just grunted vaguely. His clothes were so uncomfortable! Sticking to him below the waist. Scratching against his hypersensitive skin. As soon as Gladiolus opened the door, Ravus took off his heavy coat. He tried to hang it on a hook by the threshold, but he must have been remembering somewhere else. Because there were no hooks there. So Ravus’s Imperial coat fell to the floor.

Gladiolus huffed a laugh when he saw that. He made to pick it up, but apparently Ravus didn’t even realize what he’d done. The omega was already reaching for his alpha again, trying to connect their lips. Gladiolus hummed in pleasure. Finally, he had something could work with—even though, yeah, Ravus was not at all what Gladiolus had imagined he’d find in a mate. 

But what did that matter? Not like anyone could predict who their soulmate turned out to be. And honestly, at this point, Gladiolus felt like Ravus was the sexiest damn thing on this planet. Without any doubt. All limbs and strength and self-conscious need. 

Gorgeous. 

He let Ravus kiss him. Let the omega explore the lower half of his face with surprisingly timid lips. It made Gladiolus wonder who else in the world had enjoyed the pleasure of kissing his **one.** Sure, there was jealousy behind the thought. But Gladiolus had a feeling—he could kind of tell from the inexperienced way Ravus’s lips fumbled with his own—there had not been many.

He liked that.

Growling with renewed lust, Gladiolus pushed Ravus into the living room. They had to stop for a moment because Ravus chose that time to claw at the alpha’s jacket, whining when he found another layer of clothes underneath. He pulled clumsily at everything Gladiolus was wearing, managing to get the Shield mostly naked. Down to nothing but his boxers and socks (which Gladiolus could not take off unless he had use of his hands). 

“Gl…adio…” Ravus moaned, dropping to his knees and ravaging the Shield’s bare chest with his mouth. His hands skirted over the intricate eagle tattoo on the man’s shoulders. The black ink was indelible part of his **one** , Ravus recognized right away. He instantly became enthralled by the sight. Feathers and skin. Hard muscle. Strength. 

Ravus wanted to feel that strength. 

Losing himself one glorious moment at a time, Gladiolus tugged on the buttons of Ravus’s shirt and pushed it off the omega. Chest free, Ravus threw his head back and moaned. The air on his skin, mixed with the crazed pheromones all around, felt unnaturally good. Like being caressed with silk. Without even being touched, Ravus’s nipples hardened and his flesh broke out in goosebumps.

His whole body was hard and wet. Any semblance of thought was now a whisper underneath the all-encompassing need to be mated and…loved.

Oh! Ravus fell forward as his body trembled. He wanted Gladiolus to…! 

“Please…” he whined, barely recognizing his own voice. He didn’t even know what he was asking for. Just everything. The sensation of being fulfilled, of being enjoyed. His gangly, pale body was not much to look at, Ravus knew. But he wanted Gladiolus to look at him with pleasure on his face.

“Holy…” Gladiolus started to say. His brown eyes were thrumming with life. “…you’re…so fucking beautiful, Ravus…”

_That_. Ravus’s chest clenched as it vibrated with elation. He wanted Gladiolus to see him, all of him. 

Without waiting for a response, the alpha scooped Ravus up his shoulders and led him across the house into his bedroom. Yes, this was exactly what the omega wanted. A place bursting with his alpha’s smell. All over the bed and the sheets, in every corner. 

Ravus suddenly thought he might die if he didn’t get to feel those sheets on his naked body. He fumbled with the buckle and zipper of his pants, somehow unable to figure out how it worked. A task he’d been successfully doing every day for thirty years seemed far beyond him. 

“Help me…” he demanded, throwing Gladiolus a searching gaze.

What a sight. As much as Gladiolus truly, in every way, loved to watch Ravus forget how pants worked, he wanted the omega naked as soon as possible. They had waited a remarkably long amount of time. Considering that Gladiolus’s first option had been mating Ravus in the middle of the council room (floor or table).

“I got you,” Gladiolus promised. He hurried over to his omega, brushed the useless hands away, and unbuckled the taller man’s pants. While he worked, Ravus licked short stripes up and down Gladiolus’s neck. Lapping at his skin with a tongue that could not get enough. 

The taste…so exquisite. So manly. It ignited a whole new strand of hunger within Ravus. He stepped out of his pants and boxers willingly, throwing himself down on the bed with his arms and legs spread wide.

“G-gladio…” he mumbled (at least he was getting better at saying the name). “…come here. Touch me, please, I…can’t…think…” 

Gladiolus had never been this hard before. Easily another whole inch of length added to his normally sizable cock. Meanwhile, Ravus’s manhood appeared rather small. Not just by comparison, but in general. He knew that’s what happened to male betas when they turned, but…it looked like Ravus didn’t even notice. Shiny slick flowed out of his ass, stuck to his skin, staining the sheets underneath. 

The only thing Ravus could see—the only thing he could about—was Gladiolus pulling his boxers off and tossing them to the side, along with his socks. His heterochromatic eyes widened comically at the sight of such a well-endowed knot. 

Gladiolus would have been proud as fuck, if not for the glimmer of fear that passed across Ravus’s face. Fortunately, the alpha could read the look for what it was. A first timer’s anxiety.

Kneeling down on the bed across from his **one,** Gladiolus inched his way over to Ravus. Taking his time. Once again letting Ravus set the pace with whatever kind of reaction he gave. He omega scrambled farther up the bed at first, but then Gladiolus crooned comfortingly. It soothed away most of Ravus’s nerves, but the omega still jumped when Gladiolus rested his hands on his bare thighs.

If only the orange chiffon smell wasn’t so utterly overwhelming right now. Gladiolus might have been in a mind to give Ravus some time to think it over. He was never the type of guy to try to push his luck with a lover who clammed up when they saw his size. But…the mutual instinct to bond was too strong. They needed to do something right now. Anything. But something that affirmed the deep, soul-reaching connection yearning to get out.

“Have you ever…?” Gladiolus asked softly. He laid down over Ravus, leaning most of his weight on his forearms. Letting their stomachs slide against each other in the most delicious way for a moment. 

Ravus squeezed his eyes shut, hips canting upward when his small erection brushed hard abs. “Never with…a man.” 

The alpha nodded in understanding. “What about with yourself? Back here, I mean?” 

To demonstrate what he meant, Gladiolus cupped one of Ravus’s painfully slim ass cheeks. Really, the omega was unnecessarily bony in many places. Hips bones jutting out, shallow cheeks, collarbones more pronounced than normal. Shame that Ravus’s thinness spread to his ass as well. Gladiolus had always been something of an ass man. But, maybe some day…with proper care and nourishment…Ravus might fill out nicely. (Or not. Gladiolus still thought his **one’s** body was mouthwateringly exciting.)

Ravus tossed his head from side to side. Vehemently indicating no, he had never played with his ass. “ _Never_.”

“Okay, then.” Fighting the gut-wrenching lust that just made his brain short circuit, Gladiolus moved on instinct (he would be the first man to…shit, yeah, why was that so hot…). “We’ll take it slow.”

Ravus’s chest heaved up and down. His hips twisted upwards into thin air, begging for contact. He needed to be touched, he had already begged for it. His mind only operated around the thought of being enveloped by the warmth of Gladiolus’s body. He didn’t care, he just…wanted…

…So this is what it felt like. An omega’s heat. Ravus had always wondered. Now he knew.

It was horrible and…unreal. An experience like no other. Whole body arousal. Ravus never thought he would feel something like that, with a normally slow to react body. 

Gladiolus kissed his way across Ravus’s shoulders. Tip to tip. Massaging the pale, needy flesh with his lips. He teased the man’s nipples, flicking them with his tongue, watching as Ravus spilled more slick onto the bed. Sucked on Ravus’s unsightly hipbones, loving the way they fight inside his mouth just so. Traced patterns with his tongue into Ravus’s flat stomach.

Ravus crushed his knuckles against his own mouth, trying to fight the ceaseless cries tumbling from his lips. But it felt so wonderful. To be seen, the way Gladiolus was seeing him. Exposed. Down to his very soul.

“I’m gonna take care of you now, okay?” Gladiolus warned. He kissed the dripping tip of Ravus’s shrunken cock, sending a new round of shivers through his **one.** “Just relax. And, uh…yeah. You can cum as many times as you want to, because it might be a lot.” 

“What…might be…?” Ravus tried to ask, as his nerves flared in the glorious attention of lips on his cock.

But Gladiolus decided to just show him. His fingers crept towards the omega’s slippery crevice, spreading Ravus’s cheeks just enough to make space for his hand. He stroked along the crease in search of that entrance. 

There.

“Ah!” Ravus’s whole body tightened. Overcome with sensation, the omega howled another mating call. 

“Shhh…it.” Gladiolus grumbled. That cry literally resonated his knot. Making him feel like he might blow his load right there. Which would suck, and probably hurt like a bitch not to be inside Ravus. “You keep calling out like that, there’s a good chance I’ll lose it…”

But Ravus could no longer hear him. His face was red with the force of his heat, eyes glistening with unshed tears, lips swollen from being bitten as he tried to hold himself back. The omega was totally lost to his heat. For now, at least. 

Gladiolus smiled. Even that face, the most undignified cock-hungry face a person could make, he found beautiful on Ravus. Love coursed through the alpha’s veins. He dropped his head between Ravus’s legs, sucking the omega’s dick into his mouth with abandon.

“Ah ah ah…! Oh, I…it’s…Gla-please, I…!” Ravus thrashed on the bed. Incoherent.

Letting the other man’s cock slide from his lips, Gladiolus crooned again to calm him. “It’s okay. Don’t forget to breathe. You’re fine, I’ve got you.” 

Ravus nodded, though he could not understand much except for the deep croonng sound coming from his alpha. It was enough.

Letting himself croon as he wrapped his mouth around Ravus’s cock again, Gladiolus felt their scents merge. The smell of mating rose above them. Wild and crackling. Dynamic sex was unlike any other.

He slipped two fingers inside Ravus. Just feeling at first. Riding each savage thrust of his omega’s hips. The muscles inside were fairly loose, a natural side effect of heat, but Gladiolus still scissored and stretched. Getting Ravus used to the feeling of something in there. Which, from the looks of it, felt pretty damn good. 

Ravus dissolved into satisfaction. There was a spot inside of him that Gladiolus kept brushing with his fingers and it was absolutely maddening…!

“S-something…is…!” Ravus wanted to explain somehow, but Gladiolus’s tongue was working the tip of his cock like a professional. Swirling across his head, flicking his slit, tonguing the vein underneath.

Ravus felt his orgasm building. Like it was being dragged out of him by the force of Gladiolus’s expert tongue and fingers. He wanted to hold back if only because he did not want the pleasure to end so soon, but that was hardly possible. Gladiolus knew exactly what he was doing.

Ravus saw stars. Another climax rippled through him. Muscles contracting, every want in his mind and body satisfied in one ultimate release. He spilled himself into Gladiolus and forgot who he was. There was nothing else inside of him now. Just the heat…the ecstasy of being loved and fulfilled.

Drinking down his **one’s** climax, Gladiolus pulled his fingers out and sat up. Ravus tasted fucking delicious. Sweet like fruit—as good as his smell, even better. Gladiolus could definitely get used to it.

He watched in fascination and unthinkable pride as Ravus slowly came back into himself. Tiny memories—like his name, where he was, and what he was doing—returned sluggishly. He reached for Gladiolus, and his alpha wrapped him in a warm embrace. A bear hug that told Ravus everything he really needed to know: The fact that his **one** accepted him. 

Enough acceptance to make Ravus want to live again. Every day. If he could spend each one with Gladiolus. 

Sniffing the ripe scent gland in Ravus’s throat, Gladiolus moaned. He couldn’t wait anymore. He’d go crazy. He’d tried his best, but…now he really was at his limit. 

“I’m going to mate you now.” He kissed the throbbing gland of flesh and held Ravus through another shiver. “That alright with you?”

“…Y-yes…” the omega managed to reply. He gripped Gladiolus’s face in both of his hands, scenting the Shield as the idea of what they were about to do settled in his mind.

“You…want me to do it here? Or is there somewhere else you want?” 

Gladiolus had been secretly imagining this day for a while. His whole life, maybe. The day when he finally claimed his soulmate. In his fantasies, he would intuitively know where his mate wanted to be taken. The perfect spot. Gladiolus would know it just by looking at his **one.** Whether that was the throne room, or the deserts of Leide, or even across the sea somewhere in Accordo. Gladiolus didn’t care. He would take his mate there. Fuck them properly, claim them exactly the way they had been dreaming of too. 

So yeah, Gladiolus was kind of a romantic like that. But the reality was much different, obviously. It was clear from the start that Ravus never wanted this. Never entertained much thought on the topic. So Gladiolus just came up with the idea that he would offer his own home as the closest thing to intimacy they could find.

But, at the very least, he wanted Ravus to have a choice. To pick the spot anyway, even though the omega was nowhere near his right mind. Still. Gladiolus wanted to know he was doing what Ravus wanted. That was his true fantasy, the thing he wanted most in the world. 

“Somewhere else…?” Ravus echoed confusedly.

“Yeah.” Gladiolus kissed his **one** passionately on the mouth, relishing his normal taste. Saliva and mouth. “Where do you, Ravus Nox Fleuret, want to be mated? Just name it and I’ll take you there.”

The commander gasped when he realized what Gladiolus was asking. His alpha was asking him… _where_. Oh. Ravus got to pick the spot where they could form their soul bond.

Damn it all, he didn’t know. The bed was fine, but somehow Ravus also craved…

…Ah. Actually, he knew exactly where he wanted to be taken. 

Ravus pointed to the nearest window. “There,” he said, grinning like an idiot. 

“Hmm?” Gladiolus glanced up at the window. The only thing out there was his own backyard, unless Ravus was taking about the sky itself or something. Did he want to be fucked in an airship? Because Gladiolus could probably make that happen, if he pulled a few strings. Ulric still owed him one at the very least—

“The gardens…” Ravus clarified. He wanted to be mated outside. In the open air. Underneath the late afternoon sun. Surrounded by vibrance and flora, the green things Gladiolus had given life to with his own hands. Everything good in the world. 

It was perfect.

Realizing what his omega wanted, Gladiolus broke out into a grin. “Oh, okay.” He kissed Ravus’s forehead when the man started to blush self-consciously. “I can do that.”

They looked at each other. Harsh purple eyes meeting soulful brown. A mutual feeling of excitement radiated between them both.

Oh. Now Ravus suddenly remembered how that long ago day with Luna ended. 

_He reached for another branch, but it was too brittle. It snapped under his weight, throwing him off balance and sending him spiraling down. Straight out of the tree._

_Luna screamed. For a fleeting moment, as he was falling, Ravus wondered if he might die._

_But miraculously, a soft bed of moss and sylleblossoms broke his fall. He landed safely among the flowers, bouncing slightly as the bush pushed back on his weight. He was completely uninjured except for a few small scratches. Things he didn’t even need a bandaid for._

_Luna ran up to him._

_“I’m fine,” he said, stretching his arms into the air. Invincible with luck! The gods were on his side today! “Luna, I’m totally fine!”_

_She squealed, clapping so hard the nearby birds left their nests. Then all of a sudden she was crying and clinging to Ravus’s neck. Making him promise never to do anything that dangerous again._

_“Alright, I promise. That was too high. Let’s go home for today, okay?”_

_They walked home arm in arm, giggling for no reason the whole way._

Looking at Gladiolus now felt the same way. Happy for no reason. Just the inimitable joy of being alive. Of experiencing something together and coming out stronger. 

The intimate, giddy kind of happiness that came from simply being connected with someone else.

Ravus and Gladiolus rubbed their faces together. Submerging in the scent, sharing the eagerness that came as they prepared for what the soul bond might feel like. 

“You better hang on tight,” Gladiolus announced. 

Without asking why, Ravus clung to his alpha with both his legs and arms. Taking that as sufficient consent, Gladiolus lifted Ravus up against his chest. Grunting only on the first lift, Gladiolus fully carried his omega over to the back door. 

Sunlight and spring breeze washed over them both. Ravus looked out across the wide, beautiful garden. Trying to pick the exact spot. He could tell that Gladiolus had cordoned off certain sections of his garden for insects that pollinated, some berry-carrying flowers for the local wildlife (squirrels and hummingbirds), and those flowers that liked to be seen not touched. It was bursting with life.

“There,” Ravus decided. He pointed to a spot on the grass was big enough to fit two bodies. Partially hidden by the underbrush. Public indecency aside, Gladiolus was fairly certain there were no people around. The Amicita house was pretty far away from the rest of the grounds. But, he supposed, if someone from the higher floors of the Citadel just happened to be looking out the window at this exact moment, they might catch a brief glimpse…

Oh well. Let them see what it looked like when soulmates bonded. Gladiolus didn’t care.

“You got it.” The Shield carried Ravus where he asked, laying the man down on the ground like a princess. Like the most special, fragile thing in the world.

How could Ravus even fit Gladiolus inside himself? He was already full to bursting with so many new emotions…

“This where you want it?” Gladiolus asked gently, brushing thin tendrils of hair out of Ravus’s face. 

Sniffling against an overwhelming dose of appreciation for the bigger man, Ravus nodded in agreement.

He looked around the garden. His head felt better than it had in months. It occurred to him, for the first time, that perhaps the migraines were the result of lack of exposure to the sun. A lack of vitamins given by the sun’s rays. After all, Ravus did spend most of his life indoors…

It made sense. And it reminded Ravus of his regular life. The man who toiled away to help an Empire he did not love, living in the shadows so that others could be free. That was who Ravus had become. He was bitter and cold in some ways. Long since forgetting how to be a lover. Or even a friend.

“If you’re…certain…” Ravus muttered, furiously wiping the tears from his cheeks. “That I’m…the one you want. Like this.” He gestured to his chest, trying to indicate the wilted soul that rested inside. Or at least, that he hoped still did. Even though he could not feel his soul on his own.

Gladiolus reared back in disbelief. Then he shook his head slowly, chuckling to himself. “Ravus. Come on. Are you serious?”

“I…only that this is what I am, and I don’t know if I can change very much anymore, at my age…” All the fears were coming out now.

“Stop. Ravus…” Gladiolus kissed every inch of his omega’s face. “…You’re perfect. Just like this, alright? I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life. You gotta trust me.” 

Those chestnut eyes were nothing if not trustworthy.

The tears in Ravus’s eyes slowly stopped. In favor of the suspense of the moment. “…Alright,” he acquiesced. “So then…” How did he say this? “…If you’ll have me.” 

Like a marriage proposal or something. Ravus didn’t know how else to ask to be mated.

Gladiolus grunted in arousal. He grabbed the backs of Ravus’s knees, hoisting the omega’s legs up and exposing his entrance. 

“Oh yeah. I’ll have you.”

As Gladiolus slid his alpha cock inside his **one,** Ravus screamed his last mating call. He couldn’t help it. Gladiolus stretched him so much—like being impaled on a polearm, but it felt…so right. A puzzle piece fitting into place. His **one** jumping inside to share the burden of his body. A body he sorely hated…it was better when Gladiolus was there with him.

“This time…” Gladiolus started to say. But his words were drowned out as he growled the next moment in pleasure. “This time…I’ll…oh, fuck, yeah, Ravus…you’re…”

He wanted to tell Ravus everything. Every single thing he felt, all his thoughts. The way that Gladiolus was beginning to accept the fact that he would be entranced by Ravus’s unique beauty for the rest of his life. Now until the end. And that he couldn’t be more excited to start.

However, Ravus was exposing his neck. Lifting his chin and granting Gladiolus as much access as he could. Urging him to do it. To take him.

“… _Please_ …” the omega whimpered. Body already tight and near orgasm. To be fair, they both probably wouldn’t last much longer.

Like a wolf, Gladiolus buried his teeth in Ravus’s sweet neck. Biting. Claiming. Merging their scents into one as the light of their souls locked together in one heavy rush of sensation.

Ravus felt his soul—that! It was wrinkled and a bit worn, like clothes that had been bundled up in the back of the drawer for far too long. But Gladiolus’s soul was all fresh warmth. A lit fireplace waiting for you at the end of a long, wintery road. A satisfying meal on an empty stomach. Arms to hold you, when you thought that period of your life was dead. 

Gladiolus was life itself. Ravus reached for him with everything he had. And he was taken. They both were.

They bonded. It finished with a climax when they felt the weight of their soul bond tying them together tightly. Gladiolus knotted Ravus, and they settled in for a long rest.

“I love you.”

“I know. You’re…everything.”

“Will you…?”

“Yes.” 

They could guess each other’s desires now. Just as Gladiolus always wanted.

The soul-altering sex and the warm sun made them sleepy. They fell asleep together, right there in the gardens. Breathing in their combined scent and the freshness of the flowers. An afternoon slowing turning towards evening. Unseasonably warm and comfortable.

_______________________________________________

Needless to say, after he and Prompto had finished a nice lunch together, Ignis called Nyx to inform the glaive of what had transpired during the meeting that afternoon. (More accurately, what had not transpired. And likely what would happen in the future.)

“You serious?” Nyx demanded. Not sure whether to laugh or yell about how pointless the whole last day had been.  


“Couldn’t that tight assed omega have come by a little sooner? Save us the trouble of all that planning?”

“…Have a good evening, Nyx.” Ignis hung up to divert his attention elsewhere. More pressing matters. Like a blond who had just then decided to slip his muscle tee over his head.

Alone in his apartment, watching sportscasters arguing over the most recent game, Nyx shook his head in disbelief.

“Damn. I thought I was the one who was supposed to get laid tonight.”

 

 

—End—

**Author's Note:**

> That's right. Ravus just needed some vitamin D ;) ;) ;) ...But seriously, have you seen that boy? Shit is serious.
> 
> These guys make me happy. :D I don't know why but they just do. <3 They just really deserve a nice life together. So yup. Leaving the series open so I can expand on these great characters a little more if I get the chance
> 
> Thanks for reading guys <3 <3 Hit me up on tumblr!


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